BA (Hons) Creative and Professional Writing

Prepare to enter a world without limits, where the power of words and the potential of your imagination combine. 

There has never been a more exciting time to be a writer. The internet has changed the world, increasing the scope for writers and their work. Our course recognises and embraces these opportunities. At UEL, we're building a community of writers and artists with something to say about themselves, and about the world. 

Our unique programme invites you to experiment and dare to challenge traditional ways of looking at 'genre' in writing. We encourage you to explore multi-media approaches to your work and to experiment with poetry, prose, drama and different media. 

We'll help you find your own path as a writer. You'll be introduced to various types of writing across a range of disciplines, paving your way for employment in many different areas where your skills will be highly valued.

If you don't meet the entry requirements for a BA, you can study this course as an 'extended', four-year programme . You'll begin by taking a foundation year which prepares you for a successful transition to the BA degree. This means it will take you four years to complete the course full-time, and eight years to complete the course part-time.

One of the key concepts in creative writing is 'show, don't tell'. That applies to both our teaching philosophy as well as our approach to writing. So, at UEL we will show you how to become the writer you want to be.

How? By providing you during your three-year course with a programme that offers stimulating readings, group discussions, lectures and creative assignments. You’ll learn all about fiction writing, poetry, screenwriting and creative non-fiction in a dynamic progression.

The core modules examine different contexts of writing and analyse literary and screen-based forms and structures. You'll learn how to write effectively in a host of different genres.

It’s a course that allows for specialisation, too. For your final-year dissertation, you will develop an extended piece of creative writing in a form, genre and style that particularly interests you.

• Tawjihi: 60% for Foundation
• 3 x AS Levels: Foundation
• US High School Diploma: GPA 2.0 for Foundation
• US High School Diploma: GPA 3.0 + SAT1 1070 for Direct Entry to Bachelor's
• International Baccalaureate (IB): 25 points with minimum 15 at Higher Level for Direct Entry to Bachelor's
• 3 x A Levels: Direct Entry to Bachelor's

We're proud of the success stories which keep blossoming from our course. We even have a couple of graduates now going toe-to-toe in the battle of the soaps!

Danielle Jawando, who studied here for both her BA and MA, has recently been writing for major TV soap operas, while talented young playwright Jonny O'Neill had his first EastEnders episode screened in September 2014.

Jawando attributes much of her success to the support she received from her tutors here. "I developed the confidence to try new things and most importantly, to send my work out," she recalls.

As a result, she was shortlisted to write for Emmerdale and had a short story published while still studying at UEL. O'Neill, meanwhile, has seen his debut play, The Royal Duchess Superstore, open on the professional stage in London.

Our course can open all sorts of other workplace doors, too, because it hones and enhances so many transferable skills suitable for different professions. 

Employers want applicants with the sort of communication and writing skills you'll learn here. Our students have gone on to work in areas such as screenwriting, copywriting, teaching and journalism.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.